One girls' Chilean travel dreams (and practicing some Spanish on the way)

Las problemas ambientales de Chile

There is certainly one ‘big issue’ which has stood out to me when discovering Chile, and that is its problem with pollution.

Just look at that smog!

For a country famous for its vast national parks and beautiful scenery, I was surprised to find that Chile faces vast environmental problems, with air pollution being Santiago’s undisputed worst aspect.

Santiago is often noted as one of the most polluted cities in the world. The particles in the air cause significant health damage and severely lower the locals’ life expectancy.

It is an unsolved issue as everyone can blame someone else. Santiago is “trapped” in a valley surrounded by the Andes on the east and a coastal mountain range on the west, so during winter it suffers a thermal inversion that prevent the pollutants from escaping. Only the winter rain can bring relief.

On top of geographical limits, there is huge population growth, poorly regulated transportation systems (which produce 40% of the city’s air pollution) & manufacturing. Also, the use of polluting energy sources such as coal have made Santiago a life-threateningly smoggy place to live.

The tricky question which we must contemplate now is, how can we solve this issue of environmental degradation?

Since the 1990s, 140 measures have been implemented to control contamination from transport services, industry, commerce, construction, agriculture and households.

At times, driving in the city and using timber for heating were prohibido.

The best improvements that have been made in Santiago were the introduction of catalytic converters in cars, and Santiago’s switch to natural gas. However, I think that Chile needs wider intervention. This is a global matter of health which needs political intervention.